The Ultimatum

A staredown...

The gust of wind blows northward. Iggy and naGran are at the opposite edges of the yard, the stars in the sky made to become their spotlight.

naGran is waiting for Iggy's first move...

"...Pistol."

A fist comes out of the bazooka, coming straight at naGran, but he evades to the left and fires back.

Iggy Jumps and Pickle gets out of the way.

"You okay, Iggy?" Pickle asks.

A couple scratches here and there, but Iggy seems to be alright.

"Yeah... I need to get closer."

"I'll get the attention of Father. You go on right ahead."

"Be my death fodder, Pickle!"

Iggy sprints closer to naGran through the orchard. He plucks a golden apple along the way and eats it.

naGran, who is quick to notice, rapidly aims at the orchard. Iggy is practically invisible.

"Hey! Father!"

naGran loses his aim and looks at Pickle.

"Why don't we talk this out, huh? You know? Person to person? Father-to-son?~"

He aims at Pickle.

"Woah-oh-ohhh! Woah, woah, now, Father. You wouldn't shoot your creation, won't you!? Come on, Father, I have a world to save!" Pickle fakes a smile.

"Shut up, son!"

He is close to pulling the trigger at Pickle...

Iggy jumps him from the rear.

"Home run."

He bats naGran from the back; a powerful hit from Iggy.

naGran was sent flying.

"...Ouch." Pickle says.

naGran takes a toll from the hit, but he stands up firmly.

"...You've got a strong weapon there, boy." He said.

"...Too bad you're not WORTHY ENOUGH TO USE IT!"

A blade breaches from naGran's shotgun barrel.

"Pistol!"

A rubber fist comes out of the bazooka once again...

But the shotgun blade pierces through it; the fist just got stuck.

From a distance, Iggy is trying to pull on the stretchy arm to try to pull it back to the bazooka, but Old Man naGran's strength overpowers that of his. He has no other choice but to come closer.

"Godspeed..." Iggy breathes in.

"ROCKET!!!"

He retreats the hand and ends up pulling himself to naGran.

An unexpected outcome. The act takes naGran by surprise. A collision course...

...Ending with a knockdown by Iggy.

"Pickle! Now!"

"...What now???"

"Wait, we don't have a plan?"

SMACKDOWN from naGran's shotgun, he immediately aims it after smacking Iggy to the ground. Iggy gets separated from his bazooka.

"Do not, under any circumstances, ever lose your focus when you're at an advantage." He says.

"A Blunder, boy."

Then Pickle comes along with some words to spare.

"Don't lose the fact that he isn't the only one in this fight, Father!"

Pickle, holds on to the bazooka.

"...Pistol."

The fist punches right through naGran's abdomen. A rough touchdown for naGran.

He struggles to get up.

"Iggy! The weapon's finishing move!"

"Right!"

Pickle clings onto the bazooka and throws himself to Iggy's arms.

Ready...

"Bubblegum..."

Aim...

"B A Z O O K A!"

Fire.

Two fists blast from the bazooka at unimaginable speeds...

...And sends naGran flying.

From one wall to another... And another... And another...

naGran ends up piercing through the Oval Office.

A panting Iggy in the middle of the rubble.

A smirking Director spectating from the window.

An unconscious naGran resting under an office table....

The fight is over.

"I prefer the battle axe move better." Iggy says.

...

"Woohoo! Iggy! You did it!" Pickle says with praise.

"I~ I did?"

"Yeah! You were like 'WHAM!' and 'SLAM!' and~ am I starting to sound like a generic cheerleading character to you?"

"That sounds like a normal response to me..." The Director says, walking close to the two of them.

"You didn't have to go that far, you know. Besides..."

She picks up naGran's shotgun from the ground.

"This is just an airsoft gun. Old Man naGran's just testing you."

"Oh." Iggy and Pickle nonchalantly replies.

"Well, at least he's well aware that he had that coming for him..." The Director chuckles.

Iggy looks back at his shotgun; it seems to have returned to its normal form. Neon blue glitter sparkles from inside its barrel.

"The shotgun... It's back to normal." Iggy says.

"Once you're out of combat, 1KX's power automatically retreats." The Director gives its remarks.

"Anyway, now that we have that all out of the way...

The Director offers Iggy to shake hands.

"Welcome to The Industry, Iggy."

Stars in Iggy's eyes.

He shoos the handshake and immediately reaches for The Director's hug.

The Director hugs Iggy back.

From afar, a half-conscious naGran looks at the spectacle.

"...Hahaha... Not bad, kid..."

A written note drenched in blood is right beside his left hand...

A recorder typewriter that finished recording is right beside his right hand..

Liters of blood surround his body.

THREE DAYS LATER

Iggy reads naGran's note. naGran is nowhere to be seen, however; only The Director is in the premises, preparing what seems to be Iggy's sling bag.

"To Iggy: Don't feel sad and don't feel guilty. Letting me live just means you have a long way to go."

"Hahaha, guess I still have a long way to go, then!" Iggy blurts out.

"Man, we did a number on Father, didn't we?" Pickle replies.

"He's a great guy, he'll be fine!"

The Director has finished preparing Iggy's bag. She closes her lips.

"It's ready. A personal train will be escorting you to Timeline-2 anytime soon." She says.

"naGran told me that he's looking forward to see you once he fully recovers." She added.

"Tell him likewise." Pickle says.

"Welp, It's time for us to go. Are you sure you're not going to escort us, Director?" Iggy asks.

"Too busy with reconstruction duties."

A big smile from Iggy's face.

"Okay. We'll see you around, Director!"

"I hope to hear good intel from the both of you soon."

Iggy and Pickle leave the premises, joyous as they can be.

A short-lived silence in the Oval Office.

The telephone typewriter rings. The Director picks it up.

"Hello? Director Aria speaking."

"The urn is ready to be given to the family of the bereaved, Madam Director."

"...Tell them it's a freak accident and to keep their mouths shut if they don't want the world to mourn the unexpected loss of a great man... A man behind the thousand faces of The Industry."

"...But ma'am, wouldn't that be a disrespect to naGran~"

"That would be a disrespect to the many lives at stake because of Massacre's imprudence."

"Ma'am Director..."

"It's better not to let anyone know. It's better not to let Iggy and Follower know. Who knows what would happen to their minds if they find out they killed naGran, it won't be beneficial for our mission." She complains.

"It's a painful loss, I know... But I know naGran would be happy."

"For through that battle, he knows that there's no one better for the job but him."

"I have the audio tape that naGran recorded in his last moments..."

She lifts the tape up with her hands...

"And I won't let anyone hear it until this mission's over."

The train leaves for Timeline-2. Iggy and Pickle are in the storage cabin, right beside a few hay bales, and a mule.

"So... Timeline-2, huh?" Iggy asks. "I wonder what that place looks like..."

"It's a really amazing island with big towns and bustling cities. Oh, and occasional explosions and cartoon violence."

"Haha, Sounds like my cup of coffee." He replies.

"Though I think the place's angels and demons sometimes pause the place when things get crazy."

"They have supernatural beings???" A surprised Iggy asks.

"In that place, yes, but outside? They're just plain ordinary beings. Weird stuff happens exclusively to some islands in Euphros, and this island's no different."

"Like how there's vegetables with faces in our place..."

An evident smile from Pickle's eyes.

"Yeah... something Like that."